Dried cheese powders are often used in food products to avoid the microbiological problems normally associated with the moisture content of cheese. Moreover, dried cheese powders are easier to handle than bulk cheese, and do not require refrigeration.
The primary disadvantage associated with the use of dried cheese powders in food products is that these powders tend to burn when exposed to high processing temperatures. Specifically, dried cheese powders made by conventional spray drying or pan drying techniques burn at temperatures that other food ingredients do not. For example, when a conventionally dried cheese powder is added as a flavoring agent to one-step microwave popcorn (i.e., popcorn where the flavoring agents are present within the bag during popping, rather than added by a subsequent step after popping), the cheese powder will burn due to the very high processing temperatures generated within the bag during popping.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a dried cheese product that will resist burning when exposed to high processing temperatures, as well as a process for making such a product.